Penny and Rime
by shandromand
Summary: Penny Polendina joins the Vale City Police Department as their newest Homicide Detective. But will her secret remain hidden before she can solve the case? Her new partner takes her under his wing, even though it's poor shelter from a city riven with crime.


Penny woke from sleep mode at 0608- Six in the morning, she admonished herself. She was still getting used to being imprecise with her language. Ever since her friend Ruby had accidentally discovered what she was, the two had become good friends. The silver-eyed girl had vowed to help her learn to appear more human-like. She un-docked from the alcove and stretched her arms up above her head, and then she yawned. She didn't need to do it, but Ruby had insisted on doing all sorts of things, even when nobody was watching. "Habits become second nature for us, Penny. If you do these things when others aren't around, your programming should make those things more seamless." Penny wasn't sure if it was working or not, but she trusted her friend's judgment.

While her diagnostic routines ran, she went to the kitchenette of her apartment and measured out three scoops of coffee grounds into the waiting filter. This, too, wasn't something she needed. Being a mechanical android meant she had no need to process nutrients. She could consume small amounts, but it was purely for show, and had to be purged soon after. Ruby had initially tried to convince her that it would help, too, but in the end Penny had persuaded her that it was an unnecessary waste in most cases. It was her first day back on duty though, and she had a new precinct and a new partner: She wanted to make a good first impression. She didn't know anything about the Detective Sergeant, but Ruby had suggested that nearly everyone who carried a badge liked their coffee very strong, and usually black. She dropped the filter into the bin and turned on the little machine, and then set about choosing an outfit for the day.

Her closet had some variety, though Ruby had less to do with it than her sister. Yang, and her fiancée, Blake, were firm that Ruby shouldn't be allowed to make *all* of Penny's fashion suggestions. Otherwise, they had claimed, Penny might have found herself with only red and black-themed clothes to wear. Ruby had promised to be discreet, and so had merely introduced her as a new friend with an admitted lack of understanding about fashion. She fingered through the hangars and settled on a dark green blazer with matching slacks with a small smile. Blake and Yang had disagreed and squabbled over the color-complexion ratio, all while Ruby had conspiratorially whispered that it was 'cute': Penny agreed with her. A cream collared blouse came from the opposite side of the closet. She trapped a fuzzy blue pair of socks between two fingers and laid out all of the clothes on the bureau that held a few of her spare parts.

She dressed with care to match seams to the edges of her ventral access port, and then rolled up both sleeves to her elbows. After tugging here and there to make sure everything was settled properly, she stepped into her shoes and walked to the table beside the charging alcove. It held two photos and an elegantly carved wooden box. She glanced at the photos with a brief smile before opening the box. One was of her with her father, and the other was of Ruby and her pet dog, Zwei. The dog was a stubby little Corgi, and he seemed to take great pleasure in licking Ruby's face, which had caused her to laugh when the camera had clicked. It was nice to have a friend, especially one who knew the truth about Penny.

The box was adorned with relief carvings of dolphins and seagulls – a gift from her father. The little smiling dolphins always made her think of a happy time that she couldn't quite remember. "Dolphins are the wisest of the creatures of the ocean, Penny," her father had told her. "They travel together, play together, and shepherd unfortunate souls away from the dangers of the open sea." He had endless tales of the creatures; the box always made her smile. She flipped it open to retrieve her service pistol and badge, the latter of which she clipped to her belt. The gun, which she didn't much care for, went into the concealed shoulder holster under her right arm. It was standard issue, but in her case, it was, like her ability to eat, largely a prop. It functioned, but her hidden weapons were far superior. She turned to give herself a look over in the mirror, patting her hair and straightening her collar once more. Satisfied that she was presentable, she returned to the kitchen and poured the now waiting, steaming coffee into a thermos. Once that was done, she turned out the lights and walked out into the hall, locking the door behind her with a wave of her hand.

Her car was still in for repairs, so she waited quietly at the bus stop and listened to the thrum of traffic and the idle conversation of her fellow stop-mates. They were talking about a big heist that had taken place at the docks the night before. Penny had seen the CCT-Cast, and idly wondered if she and her new partner would catch the case. The bus pulled up a few minutes later, and she took a seat near the front, and linked to the VCPD network to see if she had any new messages. There was a short note from Ruby wishing her luck with her new post. There was also last night's terse message from Captain Goodwitch to report to the squad briefing room at eight o'clock sharp. Beyond that, there were no other missives waiting for her.

The station house wasn't far, and she arrived with plenty of time to spare. When she entered the building, her auditory circuits were assailed by the busy sounds of the office. Telephones were ringing, people were talking, and even more people were typing at terminals; the hum of the building's climate control system droned in the background. Her HUD identified people as she saw them. Most ignored her, busy with whatever task they were occupied with. A few acknowledged her scrutiny, though, with a wave or a nod, which she returned cheerfully.

Since there was nothing for her to do but wait, she took the time to look through the notices on the peg-board outside the squad room. She was looking at the description of the suspected ringleader of the thieves responsible for last night's heist when a familiar voice spoke up behind her. "Hard at work already, I see, Detective Polendina."

Penny turned to find Ruby leaned up against the support column, arms crossed and grinning from ear to ear. "Ruby! It's wonderful to see you! How have you been?" Ruby's silver eyes glimmered in response to her friend's unfettered joy. Penny didn't wait for her to answer as she crossed the space between them to envelop her friend in a hug, which elicited a laugh from Ruby as she returned the embrace. It had been weeks since they had last seen one another, and from the warnings her pressure sensors were reporting, Ruby had missed Penny just as much as Penny had missed her.

"I was *really* worried for a while, there, but your dad finally answered my messages after you were out of the woods," she replied, giving Penny a final squeeze before stepping back to look her up and down. "Good as new, huh?"

Penny beamed a smile and held up her fingers to waggle them together. "So it would seem." She lowered her voice and leaned in to murmur, "Father said your quick thinking saved my long-term memory," which caused Ruby to blush. "However, he had some… choice words when he found out you had cross-linked my auxiliary circuits with the core control system."

Ruby mock pouted and stuck out her tongue. "Bah. I'm sure there was a better way to do it, but stupid department protocols don't let flatfoots like me have access to your dad's lab or your specs - I'm just glad it worked." When she mentioned her position as a patrolman, Penny noticed that she wasn't in her uniform, but had worn her civilian clothes to work instead. The red longcoat wrapped around her light frame and hid nearly everything else she wore. A bit of black collar with red trim peeked out above the top button, and her ever-present combat boots splayed out.

"Ruby, are you still on 'leave'?" she asked, holding up finger quotes. Ruby had been poking her nose where she shouldn't have in Penny's last case, which would likely have ended her career as a police officer. Penny's father, however, had promised her that he would do everything that he could for her friend. He was grateful, after all – if it hadn't been for her, Penny might not have been around for either of them to appreciate it now. Unfortunately, the best her father had managed to accomplish was to have Commissioner Ozpin place Ruby on administrative leave.

"Well, technically, yes…" Ruby hesitated, shifting her gaze around the room before leaning in to whisper conspiratorially. "I'm not supposed to talk about what's going on just yet, but what I _can_ tell you is that I'm not fired," Ruby finished with a wink. "Hopefully I can say more in a day or two." Their conversation was interrupted as people started to filter in to the briefing room. "I guess that's your queue, Penny." Ruby gave her another quick hug and left with a wave. "I'll see you soon! Call me later, okay?"

"I will!" she promised. "Be safe!" Ruby threw her a wink and a grin, and then she zipped through the doors to the street.

Penny turned and walked through the briefing room door with a smile on her face. A few of her fellow detectives were engaged in conversation, and they all looked up when she walked in. "Good morning, everyone," she said brightly. The responses varied from polite greetings to half-awake mutters and grumbles. One in particular caught her attention, something about 'another bright-eyed, bushy-tailed *morning* person' but she ignored it and found a seat near the front.

The conversation was muted, though she heard every one and sorted them according to importance. Most were about the train heist and potential suspects to be questioned, though one was about her specifically. She had just turned her attention to it when the Captain walked in. "Alright, settle down, people. I'm sure you've all heard the news about the robbery that took place at the docks yesterday evening, but we still have other cases to work."

Captain Goodwitch was a tall, bespectacled woman who wore her blonde locks up in a loose bun. She favored a white blouse with a purple vest, and a black knee-length business skirt reached down to meet tall, dark boots that shone with a mirror shine. "Detective Port, you'll be taking two new recruits down to the docks. Show them the ropes, get them taking witness statements – if there are any." An older gentleman with a handlebar mustache and bushy eyebrows nodded. Penny perked up, thinking that the kind looking man was her new partner, though she hadn't been told anything about a second trainee.

"Vasillas and Wukong, you're with Lieutenant Port today." She paused to give the two a moment to shift position to stand next to their new 'boss', who returned greetings with a boisterous laugh. Penny was only slightly disappointed, but returned her attention to the captain as she continued. "Winchester, Lark, I want all the forensics from the train robbery taken to the empty office down the hall from me."

A young, auburn-haired man stood up, "Cap? We going to go over that mountain of a mess again?" He was clearly unhappy about it, but said nothing more.

Captain Goodwitch tilted her head and fixed him with a steady gaze. "That's right, detective. We're missing something, and the squad room isn't the best place to focus your efforts. Consider the office yours until the case is solved." Winchester perked up at that. "If you crack the case soon enough, you two might even get to keep using it." Most of the assembled officers voiced their congratulations, and a groan or two.

"Alright people, settle down," she rapped her knuckles against the podium. "The rest of you have your assignments, but before you go, allow me to introduce our newest transfer." She motioned for Penny to stand up, which she did with a glance around the room. "This is Detective Penny Polendina, recently arrived from Atlas." Greetings were repeated all around, though with less enthusiasm than she'd hoped for. "She'll be working in the field today, but when she's around, be sure to help her out if she needs anything." Detective Port gave her a wink, and his trainees gave her casual waves. She noted that Winchester had a faint look of disapproval on his face, though that could have been her imagination. "That's all for now, get to it, people. Polendina, follow me."

Penny exited the room close behind her new captain. The pace she set suggested that the sooner she was rid of her new detective, the happier she would be." Your partner is currently at a crime scene, Ms. Polendina. He was in a foul mood this morning, so I suggest you speak seldom and pay attention."

She kept pace with the tall, brusque woman." Of course, Captain, I understand. What's the case we'll be working?" Crime in a city the size of Vale was inevitable, but she was excited for the opportunity to bring those responsible to justice. The captain took a Slate from the crook of her elbow and passed it back to her after tapping a few points on the screen. Penny linked with it as soon as her fingers clasped the surface, and then she downloaded the pertinent case files, which splayed out in the air in front of her.

"We've had a rash of robberies. Several Dust dispensaries have been cleaned out of all merchandise. Strangely, cash and other valuables have been left virtually untouched." Penny reviewed the previous crime scenes, but could discern no pattern to them." The perpetrators have been at it for months. This is the first time they've killed someone, however."

The whole thing seemed bizarre to Penny, and not just because she wasn't always the best at interpreting human behavior. Dust was an unregulated energy commodity. There wasn't any point in having a black market, or even a gray market for it. Theoretically, enough theft could cause rates to rise, and insurance payouts could theoretically buckle the system. These robberies weren't enough to accomplish that, though.

They arrived at the entrance to the motor pool, and Captain Goodwitch turned to face her directly." I trust that you will keep your status to yourself." Penny opened her mouth to point out the obvious, but the blonde raised her finger and tilted her head." Miss Rose is the sole exception to this, simply because it couldn't be helped. I am less than pleased that you've been foisted upon my department, but Commissioner Ozpin's orders were _quite_ clear. I expect you to keep your mouth shut about what you are and pull your weight - is that understood?"

Penny did her best to hide her disappointment. "Yes, ma'am," she replied. As first impressions went, Penny couldn't figure out where she'd gone wrong. Perhaps Ruby could give her some insight later.

"Call me sir, Miss Polendina." She hooked a thumb at the door. "Get going, and pay attention when you get there."

Penny threw a crisp salute. "Yes, sir!" and pushed through the door before the situation deteriorated any further.

* * *

The drive to the scene took less than half an hour, and Penny had used the time to go over the details of the case again. Their prime suspect, Roman Torchwick, had a long list of criminal activity attributed to his name. He originally hailed from Mistral, and had dozens of charges ranging from burglary to assault and battery. Eyewitness accounts placed him at nearly all the previous robberies, and attributed a not inconsiderable amount of combat skill to the man.

The perplexing thing was that before he gained his notoriety in Mistral, there was no other information about him. He wasn't a registered Hunter, and he had no military background. The current theory was that his identity was assumed. Penny spent the remaining few minutes setting up a facial recognition query and let it run in her low-tier processing before moving on to known associates.

By the time she arrived, uniformed officers had cordoned off the area around the store. She parked a short distance away and gathered the Slate and coffee thermos. When she got to the tape, one of the uniformed officers frowned and started to wave her off, but then he spotted her badge and lifted the bit of plastic up. He turned and called to the store front, which read 'From Dust Til Dawn'. "Hey, Sarge, you got company!" he said, and then turned back to her. "He's inside, go on in. Mind the broken glass, ma'am."

"Thank you, officer," she replied as she ducked under the tape and went inside. The glass she had been warned about was strewn around the dark carpet. It appeared to have come from the display case. The glass and carpet were stained with dried blood, and her gaze was drawn to three men and a woman. They were crouched or standing around a form covered in a white sheet, which was also stained in places. One of the men held the sheet up, while the woman took photographs. The other two men were speaking quietly. One wore a dark jacket with the letters M. E. printed on the back. The other wore an immaculate white suit.

Penny raised her free hand and cleared her throat into it. The two men stopped their discussion and turned to look in her direction. The medical examiner frowned until he saw her badge. He muttered something to his neighbor, who snorted and waved the man off. He walked to stand in front of her, continuing to stare with piercing, cornflower blue eyes. His hair, eyebrows, and neatly trimmed moustache were all a pale white.

He continued to say nothing, so Penny assumed he expected her to speak first. She held out her free hand. "Good morning, sir. I'm-"

"Tell me that's coffee you have there, rookie."

Penny was taken aback momentarily, but without missing a beat, replied, "That's coffee you have there, rookie." She held out the thermos.

He leaned in slightly and squinted at her. "Smartass, huh?" he asked. He took the still-warm jug of caffeinated beverage, but held it at arm's length, as if it might be a dangerous animal. "This isn't that swill they pawn off on us at the precinct house, is it?"

Penny shook her head. "No, sir - I ground and brewed it myself." She was going to leave it at that, but then her optics glitched briefly. "And statistically speaking, it's better to have a smartass partner than a dumbass one." Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes grew wide. Where had _that_ come from? Her new partner, who still hadn't introduced himself, merely raised an eyebrow. After a moment, just as Penny was sure she'd ruined yet another first impression, he snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You're going to fit right in." He held out his hand. "Detective-Sergeant Jacques Schnee. Welcome to Vale City PD, Polendina."


End file.
